10 Celebrities Who Were Once The "Chubby Kid"

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Celebrities. They are beautiful. They are glamorous and we can’t help but notice everything about them. From what they are wearing, the places they go, the things that they eat and absolutely everything in between. We just can’t get enough, some of us even become, shall we say, obsessed. We follow them on Instagram, in magazines and flock to their latest movie or TV show. We become infatuated with their flawless skin and perfect bodies. We try to emulate their style and well, let’s be honest, we even envy them and the perception of their fabulous lifestyles. Many of us hit the gym in hopes of having that perfect figure. But most celebrities were not born with this absolute perfection that we see throughout social media or on magazine covers. Instead, some were the chubby kid!

That’s right some of our favorite gorgeous celebrities weren’t so perfect, they were on the chubby side. Yep, they were part of the Chub Club (probably even the duff, but that’s a topic for another day) and struggled with being overweight just like the rest of us. Let’s look at some our top ten favorite former chubby kid celebrities who battled the bulge to find their inner glam.

10. Khloe Kardashian

Khloe Kardashian, who rose to fame for documenting her life as part of the Kardashian family on the hit TV show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, was once considered the “fat and funny” Kardashian sister. While Khloe still has trouble admitting she was fat, she does recognize that she was unhealthy and for the past couple of years has created a healthy lifestyle of eating better and hitting the gym four to five days a week. Now, armed with her hot and much slimmer body, she is trying to shed the image of being known or remembered as “the fat one”.

9. Russell Brand

Russell Brand is known today for his trademark skinny jeans, his comedic flair, his failed marriage to Katy Perry and perhaps his wild hair and crazy attire, but what people don’t realize is he was once the chubby kid. Claiming he wasn’t obese, but “chubby” Brand has admitted that he had a very deep struggle with his weight throughout his childhood, even making himself sick in order to lose or keep weight off. In order to lose weight quickly, Brand apparently turned to bulimia. Today he maintains his slim physique by practicing yoga, a much healthier and safer alternative to lose weight.

8. Kesha

Kesha, born Kesha Rose Sebert in Los Angeles, California, rose to fame in 2010 with her debut album Animal and two hit singles, "Tik Tok" and "We R Who We R". Her garbage, chic style made her a polarizing figure that people just could not get enough of. However she didn’t always have her slim figure, unorthodox beauty and supersized attitude. Throughout her high school years she was in the Chub Club! Her ninth grade picture reveals a bigger Kesha. She continued struggling with her weight and in 2014, entered rehab for the eating disorder bulimia.

7. Jerry O'Connell

Jerry O'Connell, or shall we say “the chubby kid from Stand by Me”? That’s right, we all remember O’Connell as the chubby Vern Tessio (wearing that horribly memorable striped polo shirt) in one of our favorite iconic movies from the late 1980s. He remained chubby when he played Andrew Clements on My Secret Identity, from 1988 to 1991. Clearly he struggled with his weight during his years as a child star, finally shedding the chub for the role of Quinn Mallory on Sliders. Now, married to Rebecca Romjin and the father of the two, Jerry O’Connell will always be remembered as one of our favorite celebrity fat kids.

6. Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson struggled with her weight all through her younger years and was still big when the world fell in love with her during her breakthrough performance on the third season of American Idol. While she only came in seventh place, many took notice of her beauty and stunning voice. She went on to become a very successful singer and actress, winning an Academy Award for her role in Dreamgirls. Hudson finally shed the weight, losing 80 pounds in four years with the help of Weight Watchers. She served as the Weight Watchers ambassador for four years and has managed to keep herself healthy and fit.

5. Jenni “JWoww” Farley

The world fell in love (sort of) with Jenni Farley, better known as JWOWW during her six seasons on MTV’s breakthrough reality show, Jersey Shore. Known for her big boobs, fake tan and tiny outfits that showed off her curves, JWOWW amused us with her many ridiculous antics with her partner in crime Nicole LaValle, better known as Snooki. However, she didn’t always have a body that was midriff exposing ready. Growing up in East Greenbush, New York, Jenni was chubby throughout her younger years.

4. Kelly Osbourne

Kelly Osbourne, today, is a fashion icon with her purple hair and eclectic style. However, when she made her debut to the nation on the Reality TV series The Osbournes, in 2002, she was a very chubby and awkward teenager who struggled with her weight and style. It wasn’t until 2009 that Osbourne finally removed herself from the Chub Club by losing a whopping 70 pounds. She has managed to keep the weight off and dazzled us with her fashion advice on E!’s TV show The Fashion Police, from 2010 to 2015. She even has her own fashion line and is now a judge on the new series Project Runway Junior.

3. Jillian Michaels

Jillian Michaels is best known for being a, well, bitchy yet somehow sensitive personal trainer on the reality TV show The Biggest Loser. Each week she puts contestants through grueling workouts all the while showing off her own stunning and physically fit body. One would never realized that by eighth grade she weighed 175 pounds and was well on her way to becoming obese. After enduring years of bullying for being a “big kid” Michaels finally began to shed the weight when she discovered martial arts at the age of 17. Her transformation led her a lifetime of physical fitness and she has successfully been a personal trainer for nearly two decades.

2. Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore began her long career by appearing in the iconic soap opera, As the World Turns from 1985 to 1988, even winning herself a Daytime Emmy award. Since then her beauty has continued to shine and stun both women and men around the world in such movies as The Big Lebowski and Hannibal. Last year she earned an Oscar for her portrayal of a women with Alzheimer’s in Still Alice. However, Moore’s yearbook photos reveal that she struggled with her weight and was chubby as a teenager. Eventually she shed the weight to become one of Hollywood’s beautiful leading women.

1. Ryan Seacrest

Ryan Seacrest is wildly successful. He is a well known personality on both radio and TV, as well as an executive producer on some of the most popular reality TV shows, such as Keeping up with the Kardashians. He began his rise to fame as a host on every season of American Idol but his natural good looks came after years of being the “chubby kid” who would keep his shirt on at the community pool in his hometown of Dunwoody, Georgia. Eventually he shed those childhood pounds and now maintains a healthy exercise routine.

Sources: radaronline.com, hollywoodlife.com